Fight sites crucial for Showtime’s Super Six

So popular in Germany is Armenian-born boxer Arthur
Abraham that he sold out the 14,200-seat O2 World Arena
in Berlin for his opening bout in Showtime’s Super Six
super middleweight tournament in October.

Prone to grand entrances, Abraham turned his ring walk
into a ring hover, descending from the rafters encased in
steel as the incendiary German band the Scorpions played
live on a stage nearby. Airing on public TV across Germany,
the bout against Jermain Taylor drew a peak share of
almost 40, according to Abraham’s promoters.

If the Super Six followed what has been the typical boxing
course, scheduling one-off events that maximize revenue
with little regard for the bigger picture, Abraham would
stay tethered to German soil, where he and his Germany-based
promoter, Sauerland Event, could generate the most
cash.

And yet, in his second Super Six bout, Abraham fought
Andre Dirrell on Dirrell’s home turf, in Detroit, in front
of about 5,000 paying customers — and lost. In his third
Super Six bout, scheduled for Sept. 18 against England’s Carl
Froch, Abraham likely will venture to the neutral turf of
Monaco and the 4,500-seat Chapiteau Espace Fontvieille.

Arthur Abraham (left) stopped
Jermain Taylor in Berlin.

It’s the sort of compromise that has become necessary in
a tournament format that has six boxers each fighting three
bouts, with the top four advancing into the semifinals.

With the field tight heading into the third and final stage,
venue selection has become a critical aspect of the process
for all the fighters, especially Abraham and Froch, each
of whom has lost once and could be eliminated. Abraham
vs. Froch in Berlin would provide a larger payday,
but Froch didn’t want to fight in Abraham’s backyard.
Midway through last week , they were closing in on Monaco
as a solution.

“We’re now moving into a phase of the tournament where
the fighters realize they need a little bit of home support,”
said Kalle Sauerland, who promotes Abraham. “Do we go
for the money or the home advantage? … We want to go
where the money makes sense and the image of the fight
makes sense.”

The compromise of Monaco likely won’t offer the venue
revenue of Berlin, where Abraham vs. Taylor generated
nearly $1 million in ticket sales, but a prime-time European
time slot keeps the German TV revenue intact.

Showtime also likes the choice because it is fair to both
fighters and adds a jolt of glitz.

“You’re not getting 20,000 people, but it’s a very cool place
to be,” said Ken Hershman, executive vice president and
general manager of Showtime Sports. “There’s a lot of
cachet.”

Froch wanted to fight in his hometown of Nottingham,
England, at the 30,000-seat City Ground soccer stadium.
Sauerland said he was willing to put the fight there, but
Froch’s injuries in his last bout pushed the window for
the fight out of the summer months and into the English
soccer season. Sauerland balked at other options offered by
Froch’s promoter, Mick Hennessy, setting off a stalemate
that lasted for two months.

“We have lots of backups and fail-safes in this contract,
and most revolve around Showtime as the independent
party to lend a hand in pushing people to the right place,”
Hershman said. “That’s exactly what we did [with Abraham
vs. Froch].”

The other two bouts in the tournament’s third and final
stage — Andre Ward vs. Dirrell and Mikkel Kessler vs.
Allan Green (who has replaced an injured Taylor as one
of the six participants) — are set for a Showtime double-header
on Sept. 25, with site negotiations still ongoing last
week. Kessler will fight in Europe, where he brings a large
crowd and a TV deal. Promoters for Ward and Dirrell are
exploring a range of U.S. options. The Kessler-Green bout
airs on tape-delay on Showtime, leading into a live telecast
of Ward-Dirrell. Viewers in Denmark and Germany get
Kessler-Green live.

Both semifinals and the final will be held in the United
States, Hershman said, with one caveat: If two of the Europeans
are matched in a semifinal, that fight could be held
in Europe, though it would have to be timed to air live in
the United States in prime time.